I have found that the use of sleight-of-hand magic as a therapeutic intervention has yielded great success and positive outcomes throughout my occupational therapy career. It provides a wonderful opportunity to facilitate functional gains with occupational skills, including pincer grasp, hand-eye coordination, in-hand manipulation, sequencing, problem solving, short-term memory, crossing the midline, activity engagement, concentration, decision making, among many others.
The use of sleight-of-hand magic as a therapeutic intervention also enhances the psychosocial aspects of our clients’ lives. Learning a magic trick that incorporates skill and technique, and then sharing it with friends, family, or other patients, encourages a social component that is vital to support a healthy quality of life. A patient’s self-efficacy immediately rises after successfully showing a magic trick to a family member who comes to visit.
Additionally, the use of magic as a therapeutic intervention breaks up the monotony that may come with a skilled nursing facility stay. It allows for a creative outlet to attempt something new or experience something novel. The use of sleight-of-hand magic as a therapeutic intervention is evidenced-based, dynamic and client-centered. I have found it essential to include magic in my therapeutic “bag of tricks”!
I was working with a gentleman who had a CABG x 3, as well as middle-stage dementia-related decreased short-term memory. He loved magic and the idea of magic tricks but doubted his ability to perform one himself. Some barriers to his ability to perform included cognitive declines and decreased short-term memory.
I graded down a simple magic trick to reflect the patient’s skill level and to compensate for his short-term memory decline. The patient successfully learned the magic trick! After successfully performing this trick, my patient was overjoyed, stating, “It actually worked, and I did it!” He looked forward to showing it to his grandson who was coming to visit later that day!
By Max Zweig, Occupational Therapist, Park View Post Acute Care, Sonoma, CA